Age Is Only a Number

internet

I have always loved to shop. I admit it. I used to pour over sale flyers and advertisements on a Saturday morning with my coffee. Now, I simply use my Flipp App on my phone to check grocery prices and other items for my home. I can go several weeks without ever stepping inside my local Winners store. That is unbelievable! So what happened? Is it my age? Do I not care about what I am wearing anymore? Is there no extra money left from my pension to make frivolous purchases? None of these apply!

I discovered online shopping.

I always noticed those ads that appear frequently on my Facebook news feed, but I never really payed them much attention. I would simply scroll on by. Then one day, an ad for twinkle lights caught my attention. Yes, I said twinkle lights. The picture of a garden alight with these teeny,tiny bulbs looked so beautiful, AND they were solar. I had never seen them in any store in my city. I was truly intrigued, so I clicked on the site.

There they were. Beautiful strands of 100 lights for a mere $19.99. I had to have them. So, throwing caution to the wind, I began to fill out the order form. I discovered that the more you ordered, the better the price. When I got to the payment section, I started to rethink my actions. Should I give out my credit card information? I mean after all, I knew nothing about this company except that they had something I really wanted.

I noticed a PayPal option. I had heard of it. I knew it was touted as the safest method of payment, but I did not have an account. Those lights kept twinkling in my mind. If I wanted them, then I was signing up with PayPal. The process was so simple, even I had my account set up in a matter of minutes. My twinkle lights were paid for with just a click of the mouse and before I could log off my computer, notification arrived in my email to confirm my purchase.

It was all so easy. Now all I had to do was wait for my parcel which came in a matter of days. The lights were exactly as I was hoping and I love looking at them every evening as darkness moves across the sky.

And that is how easily I became an online shopper. Since then, I have purchased shoes and clothes, accessories and jewellery, tech items and more lights. The transactions are so easy, and I can do it any time day or night.

Now I am by no means suggesting you become a shopaholic. The same restrictions apply whether you are in a store or on your computer. If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it. I am simply suggesting it is the way of the future, and there is no need to think you can’t handle using the technology. Who would ever have imagined that you could shop all over the world from your own home? And just think of all the wear and tear on your feet. Save them for doing something more fun like dancing.

There are some things in life that change very little over time. MEN!!!!! I am being somewhat sarcastic, but the truth is that they don’t really change. Yes, they age! They lose their hair and their teeth, and put on a few pounds around the middle, but they remain under the influence of that organ that dangles between their legs. It is really quite amazing that it wields so much power. And they don’t seem to mind admitting it. I met a very nice-looking 80 year old man not long ago. He invited me for lunch and over coffee and dessert, he told me he was in love with me. My immediate reaction was, “But you barely know me!” He responded with, “I’m eighty and all my parts still work just fine. I want to make love to you.” Well, I have to admit I was lost for words, and that is a rare occurrence.

Now before you get the wrong idea, I really like most men. They are fun and relatively easy to understand. What you see is pretty much what you get. So I have to wonder why finding someone to date is so difficult. Is it me?

I have been single for a very long time. Oh, I have dated now and then, but the men I have met seem to want either a serious commitment or a one night fling. I have lived alone for over 30 years, and I have grown to like my solitary arrangement. I really have no desire to live with another person at this stage of the game. And as for a one night stand, unless the sex is amazing, why bother? Whatever happened to just dating? You know what I mean… going to a movie, dinner, a sports event. I would love to find someone who would enjoy doing these things with the intimacy thrown in, but no living together. Perhaps single living has made me too independent.

Just where does a woman go to meet interesting men? I have heard all the suggestions like… join a club or a gym, singles dances, singles clubs, the grocery store or hardware store, volunteer, through friends, and online dating sites.

The craziest dating experiences that I have had so far were through online dating. It is amazing the things guys, and I am sure girls as well, put in their online profiles. Do they not realize that the idea is to actually meet in person at some point? One gentleman admitted to using his brother’s picture in his profile because the brother was younger and still had his hair. Imagine my shock when we met for coffee.

The biggest eye-opener for me was the number of younger men who are looking for older women. At least half of the guys that contacted me online were 15 to 20 years younger, and I stated specifically in my profile that I was only interested in my own age group. One guy, who was 14 years younger than I, was so persistent that I actually agreed to meet him. I mean maybe I was missing something here. We met at the zoo of all places. We looked at the animals for a couple of hours and then grabbed a bite to eat. The conversation was easy, and our “date” turned out to be fun, but I felt like I was spending time with my son. The guy was surprised when I said “no thanks” to date number 2.

The other single women in my social group agree with me. Where are all the eligible senior men? Oh, they are out there, but they are looking for younger women! If you have any suggestions for us, please let us know; we welcome any help we can get. Short of that, we may have to get fishing nets and head to the closest frog pond.

Over the years, it has been my observation that most seniors either resist or struggle with the use of new technology. My mother was actually responsible for my first foray into the tech world of cell phones. She worried about me driving my kids to and from sports tournaments and dance competitions late at night. What if I had a flat tire or engine trouble?? So, to put HER mind at ease, she gave me a mobile phone for Christmas one year. It looked something like this. It was about the size of a brick and weighed as much. You could make and receive calls, nothing more. It fit neither a pocket nor a purse, but I dutifully carried it in my car for several years. Eventually the rechargeable battery needed to be replaced and I decided it was too expensive. That phone eventually found its way into a yard sale.

When the new compact cell phones first arrived in stores, I did not rush out to get one, but later with the urging of my kids, I finally joined the 21st century. I initially took some teasing because I carried it in my purse, but did not turn it on. I was afraid the battery would be dead when I needed it. My kids were exasperated with me. “How can we call you, if it’s never on.” Good point! I was definitely a work in progress. I have since used that same line on some of my friends. I still have plenty to learn about the capabilities of my cell phone, but I’ve “come a long way, baby”. However, I am not ready to give up my landline just yet.

Computers are another story entirely. I was basically forced into using them near the end of my teaching career. I spent endless hours over weekends and in the evening in the school library working on the new computerized report cards. It was painfully inconvenient, but I had no choice. My lack of typing skills only exacerbated the situation.

I finally decided to purchase a computer of my own. I was actually so naive that I assumed it would be plug and play. The salesman assured me it was a very straight-forward operation. When I opened the carton, I was overwhelmed by cords and instructions. The terminology made my head spin. Too stubborn to admit I was in over my head, I forged onward following every word of the manual and two days later, I was ready to push the “on” button. I was in utter shock when the screen lit up. Of course, the real challenge was still to come. I now had to learn how to load the programs into my new computer. By the time everything was functional, the instruction book was in tatters.

Well, I am happy to report that two computers and four laptops later, I can find my way around the workings of many computer programs and can’t imagine my life without this amazing technology. I still can’t type, but I learn something new almost every day.

My point here is that technology can be fun. There is nothing to fear. There’s a whole world out there to explore, and this just allows us to do some of that from our own home. It’s an amazing way of staying in touch with both family and friends. I still believe that nothing can replace seeing each other in person and talking face-to-face, but when that is not possible, technology can allow you to stay connected. It was amazing to me that I could pay bills at home while traveling in Tibet.

Of course, some people are a little slower to catch on. One of my friends was recently in Florida. When she returned, she complained that she had texted us, but no one replied. We couldn’t figure out why we had not received her messages. A little further probing revealed the problem. She had texted to a landline. Oops! Well apparently there is still some work to be done, but we have lots of time to work out the kinks.